Over at 4Gamer we have a new update on the forthcoming Gundam Side Stories collection of games. First though, let’s talk about the above screenshot. As it basically shows the Blue Destiny GM kicking the Efreet Kai, now this is not something that really happened in the original games and is another instance where it seems the “remake” is deviating from the host material. We only hope that the other games in the collection are more faithful functionally speaking. That aside, in addition to the main games there will also be a VR mission mode that allows you to build a custom team of mobile suits. This gives credence to our theory that the games would crossover in terms of units somehow. It also harks back to the Tactics Battle mode we saw in Journey to Jaburo (which was pretty much the best part of the game and in turn created the setup seen in Lost War Chronicles, which is also getting remade in this collection). Bar that we also now have some nice shots of the RX-80 Pale Rider, the unique mobile suit that has been introduced for the game. The game is still on course for its May 29th release and you can pre-order the standard edition here.

Gundam Extreme Versus Maxi Boost has been released in Japanese arcades today. 4gamer has provided a summary of the 14 newly added suits to the third iteration of the Extreme Versus franchise. The units added are Gundam AGE-1, Char’s Zaku II, Gundam (G Mecha), Puru’s Quebeley Mk-II, Perfect Strike Gundam, Gundam Avalanche Exia, Brave Commander Test Type, Gundam Extreme type-II Leos Valiant, ZZ Gundam, Legend Gundam, Hyperion Gundam, Astray Red Frame Kai, Penelope, and Gundam AGE-2. This of course will probably not be the last of the additions as 00 Gundam Seven Sword was teased in the intro as well, on top of promo pics of Shining Gundam and Full Armor Unicorn Gundam. We will update you on new suits as they are confirmed.

Namco Bandai have released a new promotional video for the upcoming Gundam Extreme Versus Maxi Boost arcade game, due out on March 6, 2014 in Japan. The video showcases several new additions to the Maxi Boost roster such as Penelope Gundam, Hyperion Gundam, Gundam AGE-1, AGE-2, Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai, and Brave Commander Type. Other neat changes include God Gundam properly riding Fuunsaiki akin to the Mobile Armor modes of other units in the game. They also show off the EX Overdrive gameplay system which activates after certain conditions are met. The F-Drive boosts your melee prowess allowing you to guard break opponents and the S-Drive allows you to practically continuously fire off all your ranged attacks without having to worry about boost dash canceling. Make sure you check out the video below and see all the aforementioned changes to the latest sequel in the Extreme Versus series!

We now have the second extended promo for Super Robot Wars Z 3, this being the one that will be shown in shops across Japan to curious punters. It shows pretty much all the new aspects of the game, from the team system as well as Maximum Break. There’s also a lot of battle animation eye candy, with the the RX-93 Nu Gundam looking especially lovely. We’re still bummed by the lack of Final Dancouga but there’s a lot of other cool series afoot here, so that should be good at least. The game is still on track for its April 10th release and you can pre-order it accordingly here (PS3) and here (Vita).

Famitsu has the latest scoop on the next three DLC units to come to Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost on March 5th. The units are Roux Louka’s Zeta Gundam (2000 Cost), Haman’s Acguy (2000 Cost), and Shiro’s Ground Gundam (1000 Cost). Like previous DLC units that were recommissioned clones of existing units, these three will have similar movesets with minor additions and omissions. For example, Haman’s Acguy jumps up a cost grade from 1000 to 2000, giving the unit 580 HP and Newtype pressure as its burst attack versus the original rolling Acguy army. Like before, these units will cost 400 yen each.

Today, Tecmo Koei Publishing revealed they will be bringing Shin Gundam Musou to the US and EU as Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn in Summer 2014. Another interesting thing to note is that it has only been listed for the PS3. The Vita version is currently absent from the press release so there is a possibility it will not come over.

So we now have the first promo for the Gundam Side Stories collection and it’s featuring Blue Destiny. There’s quite a lot of gameplay footage in this trailer and it’s clear now that these “HD remakes” are basically classic missions from the older games in the new Missing Link engine. This is a pretty big deal, as what made games like Blue Destiny so special was their claustrophobic first person view (something that seems to be entirely absent now). We’re actually pretty disappointed now about this new collection, as it seems very clear that Bandai are just going down the cheap and nasty route for this. Oh well, we’ll be picking this up in May but our reaction has now dropped to below “meh”. The other weird thing is that this version of Blue Destiny looks like it’s referencing the manga narrative rather than the original games (as the trailer talks about about letting down Marion after the Blue Destiny GM’s head is blown off by a Dom). This is because the manga ends on Earth between the Blue Destiny GM and Efreet Kai, whereas the games finish in space between two EXAM system Gundams. Anyway, this collection seems to be comprised of a whole ball of weird. The trailer is shown below.

In the latest issue of Famitsu, Bandai Namco have announced something wondrous. Specifically that of HD remakes for 5 classic Gundam gaiden games. These games being Blue Destiny, Rise from the Ashes, Space To the End of a Flash, Zeonic Front and the first Senki. All of these will be bundled with Missing Link and use the new engine. What’s not clear is whether the first person view that was key to the Saturn and Dreamcast games has been preserved (as from the screenshots it looks that the updated versions have gone third person in terms of the camera). Still, the fact this is happening at all is pretty damn great. In addition, there will be a limited edition of the game that will come with a kit of the new RX-80 “Pale Rider” as well as a soundtrack and artbook. Though at 14,893 yen it’s a tad pricey. We also have a release date for the games of May 29th. Considering how good many of these older games were, we really hope they don’t mess them up in terms of the new HD remakes.

For those of you waiting for any new information regarding the state of the upcoming Monolith Soft RPG “X” for the Wii U, the recent Nintendo Direct has shown two minutes of brand new gameplay footage. Using an upgraded version of the battle system from Xenoblade, the video shows the playable characters battling monkey-esque creatures on foot and in their mecha, called Dolls. Having logged in nearly 100 hours in Xenoblade, I personally cannot wait to get my hands on this game. The enemy AI looks to be lacking in this vid, but I’m sure that will be remedied as they get further along with the game. Be sure to check out the video below!

Not long after the first game was released on console, Bandai Namco announced a new arcade game would follow. That was nearly three years ago and in that time Full Boost has been a huge success in the Japanese arcades. Since coming back to Japan we’ve availed ourselves of the omnipresent arcades and naturally played a large amount of Full Boost too.

As we come from a game development background, primarily that of design, it’s interesting to see how much work went into Full Boost. To look at, the game doesn’t appear to be doing all that much new and could even be regarded as just a shallow cash-in. In reality though, that is a painfully inaccurate appraisal. There’s an enormous amount of improvement across how the game operates, consequently this is one of the most engrossing and rewarding versus games we’ve played in a long time.